Mainstream and Independent cinema

There are very noticeable differences between mainstream cinema and independent. In this essay I will determine the differences and use a case study to back up what I am saying. Independent films usually have a more complex plot-line and are considered artistic, appealing to 'niche' audiences whereas mainstream films will follow a more basic story to create expectations for audiences. An example of an indie film is 'Clerks' directed by Kevin Smith which cost only $27,000 to produce but made over $4 million in box office revenue. Smith used the convenience story in which he worked in to film a lot of movie, this was to keep the cost of the film as low as it could be. Smith used a lot of his friends and family as cast members, again to keep the cost down, he maxed out eight $2000 credit cards and sold his comic book collection to help finance the film.
The mainstream film I have chosen is Transformers, it cost $151,000,000 to produce and earned $708,272,592 back from box office revenue. Transformers follows a somewhat basic plot-line and features massive amounts of CGI. The film also stars well known actors and provides expectations of a sci-fi/fantasy drama which have been very popular over the past few years, because of these reasons, Transformers was a very successful film.